Cyberbullying: an Issue Beyond Adolescence

AbstractThis research paper will provide the definition for cyberbullying as well as describe several case studies that reflect the results of being victimized. These studies are represented by research conducted by accredited sources. Within this research paper, we will talk about the life of four young adolescents who were taunted, bullied, humiliated, and harassed via social media and the decisions they made. This research paper discusses that cyberbullying is a problem beyond childhood and adolescence and will provide possible solutions taking into account that although there are traditional forms of bullying, cyberbullying is an issue that needs to be addressed. Keywords: cyberbullying, traditional bullying, suicide, education, children, victims of cyberbullying, cyberbullying and adults

Cyberbullying: An Issue Beyond Adolescence
Introduction It is Oct 16, 2006 in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri and almost dinner time at the Meier residence. Mrs. Meier knows her 13 year old daughter, Megan, has had a trying day and probably needs some time alone in her room. She knows that Megan received an incredible amount of hateful and tormenting messages including comments stating that she is not a good friend; that she likes to talk about others behind their back; that nobody likes her; and that she should just kill herself via her MySpace. Only it is too quiet, not normal for Megan to be so quiet; perhaps she should go check on her daughter. Walking into Megan’s room she discovers that her daughter does not seem to be there but the closet door is open and catches her attention. Curious, Mrs. Tina Meier looks into the closet and finally finds Megan. The site is so horrific, no words can be formulated; she can only scream for help, call for her husband, Megan’s father, Mr. Meier, and pray they have reached their daughter before it is too late. Megan Meier attempted suicide by hanging herself in her closet. She passed away at the hospital a day later. The Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents. Cyberbullying can be defined as "someone repeatedly harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices" (“Cyberbullying Research Center”, 2012). Cyberbullying is a growing issue that reaches and extends into adulthood; it’s a problem that everyone needs to address in order to create awareness because it is here to stay and will affect everyone’s life in one way or another.

CYBERBULLYING EDUCATIONJennifer N. Caudle, DO, is an American Osteopathic Association board-certified family physician and director of Family Medicine at Sinai Hospital, Internal Medicine Division, in Baltimore. She explained that “Kids that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep” she further states that “making the issue worse is the fact that such negative effects of bullying often go unnoticed, as many victims feel the need to conceal the fact that they are being bullied because they are embarrassed or afraid of further bullying. More often than not victims respond passively to bullying. They tend to act anxious and appear less confident. They may become quieter in class and, as a result, the bullying can become a hindrance on their academic success. Therefore, bullying is a problem that, if left unattended, can become a significant hurdle in a child’s development” (Cyber-Bullying and its Effect on our Youth, (n.d.)). As Dr. Caudle explained, the hurdle created by cyberbullying is a hindrance in a child’s development. This can cause problems during childhood that transgress into adulthood. We will discuss adults’ impact and influence later on. My focus is childhood and adolescence because if the problem is addressed at an early age, the consequences may be less drastic...

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... What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. Cyberbullying can be done in two ways:direct attacks or cyberbullying by proxy.
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...phrases that can encourage you and motivate you, but there are also those words and phrases that can bring you to such a low place that you may contemplate suicide. Words have such a powerful impact in the life of every person that can be used in a negative way. It takes a lot for somebody to just sit there to your face and put you down which is the reason cyber bullying is such an issue. Cyber bullying has risen with the rise of technology since that is the outlet that cyber bullies use. When somebody is being a cyber bully they are behind a screen and are not face to face contact to see the real emotions and the impact that their words do have. Anybody can be a cyber bully and any one can also be a victim of cyber bullying. “Cyber bullying” is defined as a young person tormenting, threatening, harassing, or embarrassing another young person using the Internet or other technologies, like cell phones“ (11 Facts about Cyber Bullying). As a society we need to increase the education through a program that takes students from their own schools and as them perform skits to put a common face to the issue, because cyber bullying is a problem and some people who do it do not see the actual effects behind the screen they are using to inflict damage.
Cyber bullying began with technology it is not something that has been around for decades rather a more recent phenomenon. Cyber bullying is when you are tormenting somebody over the use of the internet or...

...﻿For decades, physical bullying has been a consistent problem for young people attending school. Yet the rapid growth of the Internet has redefined how students pick on one another, giving the traditional bullying a new form. Cyberbullying is now the new era of bullying; where faces can be hidden and hurtful words can be stamped for the world to see. Since the creation of social networking sites, online bullying has become a global phenomenon and has been affecting hundreds of lives worldwide, especially lives of young adults. Nobody deserves to go through a situation like this and a solution needs to be found so lives can be saved and the Internet can again be a safe place for everybody.
Social networking websites have changed the dynamic of the Internet in recent years (Top 10, 2012). The old Internet cycle, which was only an outlet for news articles, is gone, it has now become much more than just news and information, it is an outlet for entertainment and to communicate with people globally in the click of a button.
There are a variety of networking websites; however, the most popular and influential worldwide are Facebook and Twitter (Top 10, 2012). Quite shockingly are the statistics about social networking and Facebook numbers alone, are enough to prove the huge impact that these sites can have a huge impact on society (Honigman, 2012). Facebook has 850 million active users every month and 85% of the women that uses Facebook claim that they have...

...the group. Boys usually use it as mean to start a physical fight. Also, Cyber bullying just doesn’t occur by one person. It usually occurs by one or more people who want to hurt others though the social networks. People who bully others feel safe and control when they are using this technique because they are not facing the victim. Cyber bully’s hurt others for a good laugh, to fill up boredom or make them feel in control and possibly more popular. A lot of times if the cyber bullies are not happy and frustrated with their own life this may a way to take out their own frustrations.
Parents need to be involved and know what their kids are doing online When it comes to knowledge that adults have with cyber bullying it can be a complicated issue. Adults that have little knowledge of the internet and social media may not know how to help their children. This is when it is necessary for kids to tell their parents and show them how to use these pages. They should know sites that they visit and the content that they may place on their Facebook accounts, the texts they send to others. Kids should have appropriate rules when it comes to use of social media and how important it is to post the right thing. Parents also should gain the knowledge of passwords of their kid’s accounts and learn how to track IP addresses in case needed for evidence. Kid should also be aware of never sharing their passwords for their social media accounts with others as by sharing them...

...sending it to someone else with unfriendly information about that person. It can also entail making fun and teasing go so far as defamation. Another example of cyberbullying can be websites created where teens can vote against other teens.
Cyber bullying is very common among children, preteens, and teenagers and occurs when one is threatened, harassed, embarrassed or humiliated with digital and interactive technologies, the internet or with mobile phones. The methods used in cyber bullying by children are only limited to one's access to technology and imagination. Children sometimes change roles at one time; a child can be the bully and shortly after become the victim.
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...Cyberbullying Definitions
Cyber-bullying: Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.
Cyber-bullying is bullying which uses e-technology as a means of victimizing others.
It is the use of an Internet service or mobile technologies – such as e-mail, chat room discussion groups, instant messaging, Webpages or SMS (text messaging) – with the intention of harming another person.
Examples include communications that seek to intimidate, control, manipulate, put down or humiliate the recipient.
Cyber-bullying definition by The National Crime Prevention Council: “when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”
Cyber-bullying definition by StopCyberbullying.org: “a situation when a child is repeatedly ‘tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted’ by another child or teenager using text messaging, email, instant messaging or any other type of digital technology.”
Note: The term cyber bullying is believed to have been introduced and defined by anti bullying activist William “Bill” Belsey. Mr. Belsey is the President of Bullying.org, the creator of www.cyberbullying.org , the world’s first website about the issue of cyberbullying, originator of the annual Bullying...

...and school. Currently, with the advancement of technology, children have many ways to interact, socialize, and communicate with one another. Unfortunately, this method of communication is generating the most threatening terror described as cyberbullying. In the past, bullying has been framed as a schoolyard problem; nonetheless, the Internet offers a different venue for bullies.
While this commonly used strategy has made it easier for bullies, it caused difficulty to manage within school systems. In addition it has also been opening doors for potential adolescent to develop this type of aggressive behavior. The purpose of this paper is to investigate traditional and cyberbullying, evaluate the connection between methods, and tactics that society can partake in decreasing bullying in schools and social networking websites.
Traditional: Stick and Stones can Break My Bones
Over the last ten years, United States have taken an interest of understanding traditional bullying among children in schools. American Family Physician published a report that U.S. children from 8 to 15 years old rated bullying as a greater problem than racism, pressure to have coitus, and use alcohol or other drugs. Nonetheless, bullying has rising numbers of issues in schools and may even trigger victims to carry protection (Lyznicki, McCaffree, and Robinowitz, 2004). The findings from studies have shown the different types of traditional bullying, and...